LAS VEGAS – Refusing to leave the welterweight title picture, Martin Kampmann dropped, battered and then submitted Jacob Volkmann in the featured bout on Saturday’s UFC 108 preliminary card.

Kampmann’s first-round victory highlighted Spike TV’s two-fight “UFC Prelim” broadcast and was part of a five-fight preliminary card that took place prior to the night’s pay-per-view main card.

UFC 108 took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Kampmann was on the verge of a welterweight title shot before a knockout loss to Paul Daley in September; a second defeat at 170 pounds would have been disastrous for the former top middleweight contender. And though he had his hands full early in the bout thanks to Volkmann’s crisp and effective striking, Kampmann eventually found his opening.

Late in the round, Volkmann charged forward with a series of lunging shots. Kampmann back-peddled and then struck with a counter right that dropped Volkmann to the mat. The Danish kickboxer continued the assault with hammerfists, and when Volkmann worked his way to his knees, Kampmann locked in the fight-ending guillotine choke.

The tap-out came at 4:03 of the opening round.

“I was a little too cautious in the beginning, and he caught me with a few good shots,” said Kampmann.
“So I was just happy I got the win.”

Kampmann moves to 16-3 with the win (7-2 UFC) and now stands 3-1 since his drop to welterweight. Volkmann, meanwhile, drops to 9-2 (0-2 UFC) following his decision loss to Paulo Thiago in November.

Leading off the night’s Spike TV broadcast was an intriguing lightweight bout between youngsters Cole Miller and Dan Lauzon. While the duo provided sparks at Friday’s weigh-ins and refused to tap gloves prior to the start of the fight, it was all class after the back-and-forth affair.

Lauzon struck first with a wild left that dropped Miller. “The Ultimate Fighter 5″ cast member survived and quickly recovered, though, and returned to his feet to stand and trade with Lauzon for the next few minutes. In fact, it was the hard-hitting Lauzon who scored the first takedown, though Miller quickly took a dominant position.

Once there, the American Top Team submission specialist secured an inverted triangle choke and then locked in and torqued a kimura. Unable to escape from the two-front attack, Lauzon was forced to tap out at the 3:05 mark of the opening round.

Miller’s submission victory was announced as a “kimura from an inverted triangle.”

“I’m not afraid to lose,” said Miller, who suffered a TKO loss to Efrain Escudero in September. “I’m not afraid to die. I don’t lose two in a row. It’s not what I do. I wasn’t going to lose tonight.”

Miller moves to 16-4 (5-2 in the UFC) with the win, which is his 11th to come via submission. Lauzon, who at 18 years old became the UFC’s youngest-ever fighter in 2006, drops to 12-3 (0-2 UFC) and snaps an eight-fight win streak in his return to the UFC.

Leading off the night’s un-aired action was a middleweight bout between wrestler Mark Munoz and the well-rounded Ryan Jensen.

And while Jensen has proven adept outside the UFC, where he’s 13-2, he suffered yet another setback inside the octagon.

After a brief scramble on the mat, Jensen popped and wobbled Munoz midway through the first round. Munoz, though, quickly secured the clinch, used the hold to recover, forced the takedown, and then took control of the fight.

Once on the mat, Munoz unloaded dozens of shots to the head and ribs as Jensen rolled from his back to his stomach. Although he appeared to tap from the strikes at one point, Jensen ultimately was rescued by referee Mario Yamasaki, who awarded Munoz the victory (submission via strikes) at 2:30 of the round.

“I know my standup is the hole in my game … but he threw a knee, and I was able to take him down,” Munoz said. “I have a good ground-and-pound (game). I wanted to get the submission victory today, but I’ll take this.”

The win is Munoz’s second in the UFC and moves his overall record to 7-1 (2-1 in the UFC). Jensen, who’s second stint with the UFC may have ended with the loss, falls to 1-4 in the UFC and 14-6 overall.

Pyle, a dominant ground fighter, pulled guard early in the first round and remained active from his back. But Ellenberger, looking to bounce back from a hotly contested split-decision defeat to former WEC champ Carlos Condit in September, cracked his opponent with brutal ground and pound as the round came to a close.

Pyle was slow to get to his feet and back to his corner, and Ellenberger capitalized with a brutal right hook early in the next frame. Pyle hit the mat, and Ellenberger quickly followed with a barrage of additional shots until referee Yves Lavigne called a halt to the action 22 seconds into the round.

“This is the greatest feeling in the world,” Ellenberger said after the fight. “Mike’s a tough guy. He’s got a good guard, and he’s tough on the ground. … I like to lay hands on guys have the ref pull me off.”

With the win, Ellenberger, a former IFL fighter, is now an impressive 7-2 in his past nine fights.

In the night’s opening bout, Rafaello Oliveira (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up his first UFC win and spoiled the promotional debut of fellow lightweight John Gunderson (22-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a clear-cut unanimous-decision win.

After his opponent closed the distance, Gunderson often pulled guard with a guillotine attempt. Oliveira, though, easily escaped and controlled the action once on the mat. Gunderson, a Shawn Tompkins-trained fighter who was a late replacement for injured Sean Sherk, grew increasingly frustrated. And though he successfully avoided Oliveira’s many submission attempts, including a late-fight armbar, he could never mount much of an offense.

In the end, Oliveira settled for the decision win via scores of 30-27 on all three judges’ cards.

“It was frustrating not being able to finish him,” Oliveira said. “I didn’t have a Christmas. I didn’t have a New Year’s. This (victory) is my Christmas. This is my New Year’s.”